Hated Miami Heat Stars Sudden Favorites After Taking a Stand In NBA Labor Talks

"Don't point your finger at me. I'm a grown man. I have children," Dwyane Wade reportedly told NBA commissioner David Stern

After a full year of hate, the Heat are suddenly popular.

With the NBA season up in the air, Miami's most polarizing stars may actually be gaining popularity -- at least among their Players Association peers -- after taking a strong stance against NBA owners' demands in a labor meeting on Friday.

"Don't point your finger at me," Dwyane Wade said to NBA Commissioner David Stern during a heated exchange, NBA.com reported. "I'm a grown man. I have children."

"400 guys in our league have a new favorite player tonight, and it's Mr. D-Wade," AP beat writer Tim Reynolds tweeted, quoting an NBA player.

Alongside Wade in New York for the labor meeting was teammate LeBron James -- easily the league's most hated player -- and the Hornets' Chris Paul. Before the labor meeting, the trio told their fellow players that they would rather sit out the season than give the owners more than 53 percent of the league's basketball-related income (BRI), Yahoo! Sports reports.

"LeBron, Wade and Paul want to fight this so hard, they don't seem scared about missing the season," a source in the meeting told Yahoo! Sports.

The three made it clear during the meeting that they are willing to have games canceled rather than go below 53 percent of the BRI, according to Yahoo! Sports, who says Wade, James, and Paul believe that the owners won't actually end up canceling the season to reach the changes they want in the collective bargaining agreement.

In the intense confrontation between Stern and Wade, the Heat star pointedly emphasized Stern's first name in multiple instances after hearing what the commissioner had to say about the owners' desire to lower the players' share to 46 percent, Yahoo! Sports said.

"A friendly chat, LOL," Heat owner Mickey Arison joked on Twitter about his longtime star's faceoff with Stern.

Players and owners are set to meet again, probably twice more, over the weekend. The NBA is likely to begin canceling regular season games without a blueprint of a new labor agreement within the next week, Yahoo! Sports reports.

The duo fans love to hate seem to be getting a positive reaction from their fellow players for attending the meeting and standing their ground.

An Eastern Conference player, when informed of Wade's standoff with Stern, told Yahoo! Sports, "It's about time."

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